Want some fun ? HDR Manual Mode Critique

01/26/2015 10:17:35 PM · #1

Originally posted by MadMan2k:

Maybe if you shared each of the exposures, unedited except to resize, we could lend more assistance for next time?

Love it!

I will plan on taking some with the newer tips and tricks

Message edited by author 2015-01-26 22:21:22.

01/26/2015 10:11:03 PM · #2

Maybe if you shared each of the exposures, unedited except to resize, we could lend more assistance for next time?

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

01/26/2015 10:06:20 PM · #3

thanks Ja

No I did not know that at all, I will check out that and thanks for the tips too, and I will check into the local store to see if they do trades like that with the tripods.. my hubby is gonna love me LOL

it really seems the pre-processing before the processing and merging really seems the way to go,

I had a try on that again and this was another one I merged into HDR. Prob not the best of choice either LOL

This too was before all the tips and hints but I am in the processing now of doing them seperated and then merging them together again.

halos, man I hate halos.... what a pain to get rid of. One of my hdr pet peeves. I think the pre-processing will help, I plan on uploading the after but this is the before too.

Message edited by author 2015-01-26 22:10:54.

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

01/26/2015 06:32:59 PM · #4

Originally posted by BrennanOB:

Originally posted by Paul:
You can produce pretty good HDR shots from a single RAW file. Produce an image with exposures either side of your base and then combine them, you can manually mask and blend if you want.

Yup, that is this lazy man's way. Since you can shift a RAW +/- 2 stops you can get most shots a touch of HRD this way easily. If you need more, and sometime you have to, I set my burst Bracket to +/- 3 stops and then 3 RAW images get the full range from brightest blowout to inky blockup. But make sure you are shooting manual so the camera doesn't try to help you when you think you know better.

But one frame usually gets you 90% of what you need once you bend it around enough.

Just adding in my $0.02 on this:

The newer Sony sensors (like the D800 and this Sony RX1) have a truly unreal amount of dynamic range when pushed - I don't know exactly how many stops, but I'm betting I can expand the DR two stops more than I can on my 1D if I push both dark/light tones to their max using Capture One Pro 8.

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

01/26/2015 06:26:11 PM · #5

Originally posted by Paul:

You can produce pretty good HDR shots from a single RAW file. Produce an image with exposures either side of your base and then combine them, you can manually mask and blend if you want.

Yup, that is this lazy man's way. Since you can shift a RAW +/- 2 stops you can get most shots a touch of HRD this way easily. If you need more, and sometime you have to, I set my burst Bracket to +/- 3 stops and then 3 RAW images get the full range from brightest blowout to inky blockup. But make sure you are shooting manual so the camera doesn't try to help you when you think you know better.

But one frame usually gets you 90% of what you need once you bend it around enough.

Ja-9

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

01/26/2015 06:03:09 PM · #6

Julie - one of the best pointers I read somewhere was to change only your shutter speed. Your aperture (depth of field) needs to remain the same for each picture. Like someone said here I only do a -1 0 +1 range (so far). I have looked up and subscribed to several HDR pros on YouTube. Look up Stuck in Customs. Good information and processing tips. As others have said a good solid tri-pod is key. At my local Camera Shop. They routinely have a "Trade-in" your tri-pod for a new one. I think I got $100 for the clunker and $50 for the head that I had. Manfrotto usually sponsors it so you can probably look at their website and see when they are doing another trade-in deal.

some of my more recent HDR's...but of course I'm still learning

ETA:...do you have Lr? You know that you can make changes to your photo there and "Sync" them (the 3 or more exposures) that little discovery has been helpful in getting things lined up.

Message edited by author 2015-01-26 18:12:58.

01/26/2015 04:46:26 PM · #7

Yeah I wouldn't mind one of those tripods either and they look so study.. love one for traveling as well.. I paid $20 for mine off of amazon because I needed something, that would seem perfect, its on save as well.. great question and thanks for asking that...

~~~~~~

For the suggestions, im really excited to try these out..

I like that point about the sky for the HDR... I see what your saying about that and I have to take that into consideration when doing HDR shots and make sure more proper subjects are in the pictures

The suggestion of the auto focus then take it off. Usually I do all full manual focusing.. as well as the software..

does one software help the pesky halos more than others do?

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

01/26/2015 02:04:21 PM · #8

Does look like a good deal,

GeneralE, but it's back-ordered now.

It would seem a lot of people also thought it was a good deal.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

01/26/2015 01:27:58 PM · #9

Originally posted by bennettjamie:

Originally posted by MadMan2k:
Ah, ok.
I'd say a good tripod is a necessity to have, there are some pretty good off-brand models that aren't super expensive.

Could you suggest a few for me please? I am having a similar problem with my tri-pod...thank you so much!!

A time-limited deal ...

Originally posted by Neil:

Another chance for a carbon travel tripod..

A slightly different model this time:

Oben CT-3431 Carbon Fiber Tripod With BE-108T Ball Head--$179.95

B&H only...deal ends in 15 hours.

Load Capacity: 8.8 lb
Maximum Height: 59.5"
Lightweight: 2.5 lb
Folds Down to 17"

I really like the one from the other deal, the similar model (the 3531, same head). Grab it while you can! The ballhead alone is worth $75 on B&H.

LanndonKane

Nikon D800

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35 f/4 ED VR

01/26/2015 01:18:38 PM · #10

when doing HDR, type of subject is just as important as the technique. I don't think your picture is best suited to HDR. No matter how you expose the sky and the snow (really the ponly highlights in your picture), they'll always be featureless blobs.

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

01/26/2015 12:48:18 PM · #11

Best deal I've seen yet on a tripod.. Head is amazing, legs are just fine...

Legs

Head

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

01/26/2015 12:34:37 PM · #12

Originally posted by bennettjamie:

Could you suggest a few for me please? I am having a similar problem with my tri-pod...thank you so much!!

This is the one I use - the MSRP is inflated and I paid a lot less even at a local camera shop.
//www.promaster.com/products.asp?product=2717

I wouldn't go too cheap, anything under $100 is probably not the greatest and a tripod doesn't really get obsolete so you'll probably keep it for a while.
I prefer ball heads but the ones with just one locking knob and no separate rotation knob will make panoramic stitched shots harder.

bennettjamie

Canon EOS-6D

01/26/2015 12:00:28 PM · #13

Originally posted by MadMan2k:

Ah, ok.
I'd say a good tripod is a necessity to have, there are some pretty good off-brand models that aren't super expensive.

Could you suggest a few for me please? I am having a similar problem with my tri-pod...thank you so much!!

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

01/26/2015 10:54:31 AM · #14

Here's an example of some bad lighting for an HDR, although I used it anyway. I was testing out a pano + HDR technique and shoehorned it for the challenge. What I did was stitch the three pano's with PS's photomerge feature and then merge them to HDR.

It was done with the trial version of the Nik software which has since expired. I liked playing with the preset effects but would need time to figure out all the settings to get optimal image quality out of it.

This was a fairly extreme HDR, I think 9 or 10 exposures from the sky to the inside of the house, but it looks kind of weird.

Tiny

Apple iPad mini 4

01/26/2015 10:38:36 AM · #15

Here

Tiny

Apple iPad mini 4

01/26/2015 10:37:28 AM · #16

mistake sorry

Message edited by author 2015-01-26 10:39:09.

hahn23

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

01/26/2015 10:06:14 AM · #17

It is possible to achieve a natural looking image by blending bracketed images in HDR software. 7 of my top 10 scoring images at DPC are products of HDR blending.

Here is one (not a top 10 score) which I use to explain the benefits of HDR to customers.

It's true that I have automatic bracketiing and a sturdy tripod and a shutter release cable. Those are important resources. I do use HDR Soft 2 by Nik. I previously used Photomatix, but see much better results (more natural looking scenes) with the Nik software. YMMV

My most successful HDR efforts use -1, 0, +1 exposures. My camera can "see" about 5 stops of light between the darkest shadow detail and the brightest highlights. In Colorado, there are often 10 stops (or more) of dynamic range, so if there is too much brightness in the sky (vs. the shadow detail), I will also use physical soft grad ND filters to bring the scene into a workable range.

A nearby associate (retail competitor) of mine uses up to 18 exposures for his blending. I don't see the benefit of this, but everyone has a unique workflow.

Snow and white clouds are sun reflectors. At the same time, the sun illuninating the scene creates dark shadows. While those are challenging situations, they are also the best ingredients for HDR photography. In fact, if the sunlight illumination is not a factor, you don't really need HDR.

Ideally, you want the histograms of your image captures to overlap and complement each other. Expose one for the shadows, one for the highlights and one for the midtones. I am more likely to look at the histograms of my captures, rather than the images themselves while in the field.

A few other essentials:
1. Set the focus at the hyperfocal distance so you have the target scene completely in focus. Then, turn off auto focus.
2. Stop down the aperture to cause the depth of field to include your foreground objects and your distant subjects. I recommend using aperture priority setting.
3. If it's breezy, be sure to use ghost reduction in the HDR software. If it's a gale force wind, go home and try again another day, because there may be too much motion in the scene for successful HDR blending.
4. Be sure to align frames in the HDR software. Camera vibration alone can slightly move the scene between frames.
5. Compose scene through the viewfinder and level the camera before you shoot. Slight rotations and crops reduce sharpness and resolution.

(edited to correct typos)

Message edited by author 2015-01-26 10:17:12.

giantmike

Canon EOS R6

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

01/26/2015 09:48:57 AM · #18

HDR is one of my favorite techniques, if done right (in my mind, right is to create a natural look).

A couple of comments:

1. What is EOV? I know EV is Exposure Value, but I cannot find anything that describes EOV.
2. The tripod doesn't really matter that much, unless you have a slow shutter speed. I do many HDRs handheld. The alignment of Nik HDR Efex Pro does a great job.
3. The comment from bohemka about picking your scene is one of the most important things. HDR on a bland scene is going to look horrible.

A couple of suggestions:

1. You need to start with something exposed correctly, then bracket around that. So find where your image is looking good on the histogram, then +/- from there
2. Bracket in steps. Don't go -3/0/+3. Instead, bracket at -3/-2/-1/0/+1/+2/+3
3. You really doesn't need to bracket all the was to +/-3. I normally goto +/-2, and end up tossing some of the extremes as they don't add anything to the final result.
4. Basic edit your photos before they get to the HDR software. Correct the while balance, remove chromatic aberration, de-vignette, etc.

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG HSM for Nikon

01/26/2015 09:28:05 AM · #19

I really love that, and you really can't tell that picture is HDR.. I just love that natural look! That is a perfect example of what I love to see in HDR..

This is great information and critiques on what I needed to hear, thank you so much..
Usually I love using HDR in buildings or in landscapes and I thought for this one because of this paticular bridge having some awesome characteristics and tones in it, that could not be seen under the snow, I thought it might have looked cool as an hdr.. I also chose hdr because I was getting the histogram way over exposed and blown out, so I thought the hdr would have evened things out a bit... prob wrong reasons too....LOL The bridge was the main reason why I used the hdr in the first place. Usually the shadows, highlights and the tone curving is the first thing I usually do.. this one I did not at all..

The aperature could have been wrong as well, I had it at a 5.3...

For lightroom,
I did not play with the curve tones at all after I brought it through with the photomatix.. I just left it and tried to get the pesky halos out... never came across to play with the others to fine tune it.
~~~~~~~~~~

As for my Nik suite, I do have it but not the hdr for some weird reason, after work I will see if I can upgrade to the hdr, it has the vivesa, silver ex pro, the color efex, define, analog efex pro (whatever that does) and the raw and output sharpener (whatever those are), so I may have downloaded the wrong package as well perhaps.

Also, after I did this, a thought came in as the tonemapping was mentioned, do you all think that if I used a different EOV in the process of shooting to help the exposure, would that have helped with the exposure too and evening things out? Like use a 7 instead of a 3? I am not sure what the difference would have been or what the differences are in that, especially for the snow, perhaps more details could have came out and not been so under or over exposed? I am not sure

Message edited by author 2015-01-26 09:30:35.

bohemka

Nikon D700

01/26/2015 08:36:53 AM · #20

Julie, I think you have to think about the scene and why you want to use HDR (or tone mapping). It's mostly used so more of the photo is exposed properly, and so more detail can be revealed in certain parts that otherwise would have been lost in the shadows or highlights.

In a dose of constructive (!) criticism, there isn't much that is exposed properly here, and I cannot really see the purpose behind your effort. Snow can be tricky, but the rest of the photo is extremely underexposed anyway even after HDR, so I don't know what you were after. As for shooting this particular scene... If you're using a tripod, focus on something (auto or manual) and lock the focus down by switching (or keeping) the focus mode in manual. You don't want the camera refocusing when you're blending multiple images. Same goes for aperture. You can't have different focal depths (unless you're playing around with a special technique). You may have a cheap tripod that moves when you touch it, but your results should be fine if you use the remote (this is best practice even for expensive tripods) or timer so there is no operator-induced vibration.

I read elsewhere that you're playing with Lightroom a lot. Lightroom is one of the most powerful tone-mapping tools available. Take your RAW image and play with the white balance slider, the exposure slider, and the highlight and shadow sliders, and you'll be amazed at the information that's there. After that, since you have the Nik suite, you can even brighten up areas more and fine-tune it with Viveza. To be honest I haven't had any luck with their HDR filters.

The photo below, I think, shows off Lightroom's tone-mapping capabilities. People who see it throw up everywhere and howl about how over-the-top HDR it is, and I kind of agree. But it's actually a single capture that was played with in Lightroom and then finished off by Viveza.

LN13

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 15-85mm IS USM

01/26/2015 08:15:55 AM · #21

Originally posted by jgirl57:

Hahahaha that was hilarious! !!!

I used Photomatix to merge... I do have Nik efex pro but not the HDR section of it

That comment made my day hahahah

Didn't you just recently purchase the Nik Suite? You should have the HDR module.

Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7 Aspherical MF Wide Angle - Black

01/26/2015 07:50:08 AM · #22

Awesome I will do that...
I did not know you could do HDR with one image, that may help

Paul

Leica SL

01/26/2015 07:35:41 AM · #23

Check with Google Nik - you may be eligible for an upgrade for the entire suite...